The New York Yankees became the first team in postseason history
to lose the first two games at home and still win a best-of-five
series, patching together a 5-3 triumph over the Oakland
Athletics in their American League Division Series.

Once again, the three-time defending world champions
accomplished the unthinkable. New York dropped the opening two
games at Yankee Stadium but won twice in Oakland to force a Game
Five.

The Yankees even fell behind, 2-0, on Monday but got a clutch
two-run single from rookie Alfonso Soriano, took advantage of
some sloppy defense by the Athletics and recieved a key
insurance homer from David Justice in the sixth inning.

And has been the case for most of the last three years, the
clincher featured a clutch moment by Derek Jeter and ended with
a blazing Mariano Rivera fastball.

"Trying is wonderful. Trying is a poor third to doing. These
guys are doers. No other team had done it," Yankees owner George
Steinbrenner said.

With the win, New York advances to the AL Championship Series
for the fifth time in six years. The Yankees will face the
Seattle Mariners in the best-of-seven series beginning Wednesday
afternoon at Safeco Field.

The Yankees looked old and, in their own manager's words, "were
eating dust" through two games. They were down 2-0 to a team
with the second-best record in baseball and had to win twice in
Oakland, where the A's had won 17 straight and New York was
winless in six trips in 2001.

But Mike Mussina and Orlando Hernandez pitched them back into
the series and nearly everyone chipped in during Monday's
victory.

"The only thing I was telling my club on the off day in Oakland
was the fact that one game turns the whole momentum around,
because I know how I felt when I was up three games to one or
two games to zero or three games to zero," Yankees manager Joe
Torre said. "There's a lot of pressure because you have momentum
on your side and you don't want to lose it. That's what I
preached to them, think small. They thought small and played
big."

"I want to go on record again, I said that we had a lot of
baseball left after we won those first two," A's manager Art
Howe said. "I wish I was wrong, but I knew it would difficult,
that it was not going to be that easy."

New York capitalized on some terrible defense to scratch out
four runs against Game One winner Mark Mulder (1-1). And after
starter Roger Clemens surrendered three runs in 4 1/3 innings,
Mike Stanton (1-0), Ramiro Mendoza and Rivera combined on 4 2/3
scoreless frames.

Rivera went the final two to record his second save of the
series.

The A's wasted little time getting to Clemens as Johnny Damon
opened the game with a double and scored one out later on a
single by Jason Giambi. But Eric Chavez, batting cleanup in
place of injured right fielder Jermaine Dye, bounced into a
double play.

Chavez was 3-for-21 in the series.

New York put two aboard in the bottom of the first but Bernie
Williams bounced into a double play. The A's seemed to build on
the momentum, plating another run in the second as Terrence Long
doubled and scored on Jeremy Giambi's single.

Oakland stranded Giambi at second as Frank Menechino struck out
to end the inning. Things began falling apart shortly
thereafter for the A's.

Jorge Posada and Shane Spencer singled with one out and Brosius
was hit by a pitch. Soriano then flared a single into left
field to tie the game. Mulder regrouped and retired Chuck
Knoblauch and Randy Velarde to keep the game even.

"I feel very happy that I was able to come through with a hit to
tie the game," Soriano said through interpreter Leo Astacio.
"We came out a little more focused this game knowing there was
no tommorow. But I think if (Mulder's) defense supported him
better it would have helped him."

Oakland starting catcher Ramon Hernandez left the game prior to
the bottom of the third inning with a sprained right wrist and
his absence immediately proved costly.

Mulder struck out Williams with one out in the third but the
ball rolled away from new catcher Greg Myers, who uncorked a
wild throw, allowing Williams to reach. Tino Martinez was hit
by a pitch and a flyout by Posada moved Williams to third.

Spencer walked on a 3-2 pitch but Mulder appeared to be out of
the inning when Brosius grounded weakly to third. Chavez
charged the ball but failed to field it cleanly, allowing
Williams to score the go-ahead run.

"I thought he was going, maybe trying to catch and tag me,"
Martinez said of Chavez's miscue. "I wanted to make sure so he
wouldn't have an easy play."

Howe seemed to think Hernandez's failure to disclose the injury
prior to the game was a factor."

"It had been bothering him the whole series," Howe said of
Hernandez. "We gave him an injection yesterday and he was
feeling better. As far as I knew it, he was fine, as far as
this game was concerned. He let me know after the second inning
that he was concerned with his throwing, that he might cost us
the game, and I wish I had known it before the game started."

After Oakland left a runner in the fourth, the Yankees took
advantage of another error in the bottom of the inning.
Knoblauch opened the inning with a single and promptly was
picked off. But Jason Giambi fired errantly from first to
second and Knoblauch was safe.

Randy Velarde dropped down a bunt and Jeter followed with a long
fly ball to left that extended New York's lead to 4-2.

Clemens struggled in the fifth, walking Menechino, the No. 9
hitter. After Johnny Damon flied out, Clemens uncorked a wild
pitch and hit Miguel Tejada with an errant fastball. Torre
opted for lefthanded setup man Mike Stanton, but Jason Giambi
spoiled the strategy with an RBI single to right.

Tejada stopped at second on the play, clearly agitating Jason
Giambi, and the baserunning decision proved costly when Chavez
flied to right -- a ball that easily would have scored Tejada
from third. Stanton then got Long on a flyout that ended the
inning.

"I had to look at the coach (Ron Washington)," Tejada explained.
J"son hit the ball hard. We were down and I didn't want to get
thrown out. I didn't want to be too aggressive."

"When you come this far, you want to play a good, solid game,"
Howe said. "You know, if you lose playing well, you tip your
hat. Tonight, we contributed quite a bit to our demise. That's
too bad. ... We just didn't play well defensively tonight. It
happens. We just picked a bad time to do it."

After Mulder allowed a one-out single in the fifth, Howe turned
to Game Two starter Tim Hudson, who got the next two batters and
easily retired the first two in the sixth.

Torre sent Justice up to pinch-hit for Velarde and the veteran
outfielder justified the move with a line drive over the
right-field wall for his 14th career postseason homer.

Mendoza took over for Stanton in the seventh and retired the
side in order.

Rivera entered in the eighth and allowed a leadoff single to
Jason Giambi. Chavez bounced into a forceout and Long hit a foul
pop along the third-base stands. Jeter, who made a game-saving
play in Game Three, made a lunging catch near the rail and
tumbled into the stands.

Chavez was awarded second on the play, but with the crowd
energized a fired up Rivera retired Gant on a grounder to third.

New York stranded Knoblauch at third in the bottom of the inning
but it did not matter. Rivera was at his best in the ninth,
buzzsawing through Olmedo Saenz, Myers and pinch hitter Eric
Byrnes.

"Mariano has a fastball," Torre said. "He makes it do a number
of things, and it looked like he was throwing it 200 miles an
hour in the ninth inning today. He just wasn't going to be
denied."

"We still feel like we are the better team," Damon said. "They
have a great team. They thrive on emotion and hustle. Jeter
makes the play the other day and today. Bernie hustles down the
line on the strikeout. That is why it is tough to hate them.
They play the game right and that is why they beat us."